Self-closing gate.



J. W. MARTIN.

SELF CLOSING GATE.

APPLwATzoN IILBD 111111.14, 1910.

-964,801, Patented Ju1y.19, 1910;

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1HE Nbxlels PETER: ca., llAsmNcTuN. D. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES W. MARTIN, OF COVINGTON, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR TO RICHARD C. STEWART,

OF COVINGTON, KENTUCKY.

SELF-CLOSING GATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 19, 1910.

Application led March 14, 1910. Serial No. 549,320.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES W. MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, andresiding at Covington, Kenton county, State of Kentucky, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Self-Closing Gates; and I dodeclare the following to be a clear, full, and exact descriptionthereof, attention being called to the accompanying drawing, with thereference characters marked thereon, which form also a part of thisspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in hingedly supported gates ofthe kind generally used to control passage through an entrance-openingprovided in inclosures like fences for instance.

The leading feature of the invention consists of a certain constructionwhereby such a gate is given a normal tendency to return from an openposition to a closed one and to remain in such closed position.

In the following specication and particularly pointed out in the claimsat the end thereof, will be found a full description of my invention,together with its operation, parts and construction, which latter isalso illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which z- Figure 1,shows a front-view of a gate provided with the features of myimprovements. Fig. 2, is a horizontal section taken on line 2 2 of Fig.1, as to the gate proper, the upper edge thereat being shown. Figs. 3and 4:, are enlarged top-views of the upper and lower hingesrespectively, adjacent parts being shown in section. Fig. 5, shows theprincipal element involved in the particular construction whereby theself-locking quality is imparted.

A is the gate proper, its particular construction having no bearing onthis invention. It is shown of the usual open wrought-iron-workconstruction. It is supported so as to swingbetween two posts B and C,being connected at one of its upright edges to one of them, B, by twohinges D and E. In its closed position it occupies the space betweenthese posts, it being releasably held at its other upright edge to postC, by a spring-actuated locking-bar F which operates in conjunction witha notched keeper 0. By preference this bar is carried on the gate whilethe keeper is connected to post C. The upper part of the bar moves in aguide a: whereby its position on the edge of the gate is sustained withreference to the keeper.

Each hinge consists of two complementary parts or hinge-lugs, 11 and 12being those of the upper hinge D, the first connected to the gate andthe other to post B. The lower hinge consists of the two lugs 13 and 14,the first likewise connected to the gate and the other to the post. Thetwo complementary lugs of each hinge are held to each other byhinge-pins which constitute the pivots on which the gate swings.Tendency to assume and to maintain a normally closed position isimparted by an elastic-bar 15, one end of which is immovably held at onehinge while its other end is connected to the other hinge in a mannerthat opening movement of the gate carries this end with it and puts thisbar in a condition of tension which is only relieved by the closing ofthe gate. See Figs. 3, a and 5. For such purpose one end of this bar,for instance the upper one, is secured to hinge-lug 12, which is heldstationary by beine connected to post B. Its other end is attahed to lug13 of the lower hinge which is connected to the gate and moves with it.Opening movement of the gate puts this bar in a strained position bestshown in Fig. 5, which in its tendency for relief returns the open gateto a closed position, provided said gate is left to itself and nototherwise restrained. Sometimes this self-closing tendency of a gate isdue to the effects of gravity, the gate being hung accordingly. For suchpurpose the two lugs of a hinge, instead of being of equal projectinglengths, are unequal, that is each hinge has a shorter and a longer lug,the longer lug of the lower hinge being on the gate. The effect is thatthe gate, as it swings open, rises at the same time at its free edge sothat when released, it returns automatically to a closed position. Thisaction is limited however by positions, that is to say it is eective forclosing, only when the gate has not been swung to a position more thanninety 'degrees from its normal position. In such position it is liableto swing to either side, and beyond that position it will swing in adirection opposite to that which is desired. This objection is relievedin part where the spring-action provided by my improved construction isalso added to' gates hung in the manner pointed out, so that such agate, particularly when opened to the critical point, which is itshighest position, will always return in the right direction, theresistance of the spring preventing it from swinging the wrong way. Y

i It has been customary in these gates which are hung so as to berendered self-closing by the effects of gravity, to provide the twohinge-pins required, in one structure indicated at G, the sameconsisting substantially of a rod bent upon itself in a manner to formtwo parallel members each of which provides a hinge-pin, one for theupper and the other for the lower hinge. The space between these membersequals the difference in position, horizontally considered, between theopenings in the lugs of the hinges due to their inequality of length.Thus in a case where spring-action as contemplated by my invention is tobe added to the action of gravity, the elastic rod 15 before describedforms a part of the hinge-pin-structure G, it being substantially anextension of one of the two members thereof. Thus for instance in thecase shown, the lower end of member 16 forms the hinge-pin for the lowerhinge E. The upper end of member 15 forms the pin for the upper hinge.The effect of spring-action is added here by extending this member 15downwardly and connecting it to the lower hinge-lug 13 on the gate so asto move with the same when the gate opens as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, theextended part constituting the spring required. Thus as will be seen,while the upper end of this member is immovably held in the stationaryhinge-lug 12 of the upper hinge, the lower end is forced to move withthe gate, causing thereby member Gr to assume the twisted,spring-restrained osition shown in Fig. 5. The tendency o the twistedmember to return to its normal condition promptly moves also the gate toa closed position and if the gate is hung to close by gravity, thisaction is assisted by the added spring-action.

Having described my invention, I claim as new:

1. In a self-closing gate, the combination of an upper and of a lowerhinge whereby it is supported and each of which consists of twocomplementary lugs, of which one in each hinge is connected to the gateso as to move with it, while the other is connected in. a stationaryposition, and a spring-rod extending between the hinges to each of whichit is connected, the connection as to one hinge being to the stationarylug thereof and as to the other one to the lug carried on the gate.

2. Ina self-closing gate, the combination of an upper and of a lowerhinge whereby it is supported and each of which consists of twocomplementary lugs of which one in each hinge is connected to the gateso as to more with it, while the other is connected in a stationaryposition and a hinge-pin for each hinge which connects their lugs ineach case, the pin of one hinge being extended to the other hinge andconnected to that lug thereof which moves with the gate, whereby thisextended part is caused to assume the function of a spring which tendsto maintain the gate in a normally closed position.

3. In a self-closing gate, the combination of an upper and of a lowerhinge whereby it is supported and each of which consists of twocomplementary lugs of which one in each hinge is connected to the gateso as to move with it, while the other is connected in a stationaryposition and a hinge-pinstructure consisting of two parallel membersconnected to each other at one of their ends and extending between thetwo hinges for which they form the hinge-pins, the end of one memberbeing connected so as to move with one of the lugs of the gate, wherebythis member is caused to assume the function of a spring which, when thegate is opened, tends to return the same to a closed position.

4. In a self-closing gate, the combination of an upper and of a lowerhinge whereby it is supported and each of which consists of twocomplementary lugs of which one in each hinge is connected to the gateso as to move with it, while the other is connected in a stationaryposition, one lug in each hinge being of larger projection than theother one, the lug of larger projection on the upper hinge beingstationarily connected, while in the lower hinge it moves with the gate,and a hinge-pin-structure consisting of two parallel members connectedto each other at their upper ends and extending bctween the two hinges,the lower part of one member forming the hinge-pin for the lower hinge,and the upper part of the other member forming the hinge-pin for theupper hinge so that, when said gate is opened, eilect of gravitation iscaused to become operative in a manner which tends to return the gate toits closed position, the lower part of the member which forms the pinfor the upper hinge being lalso connected to 'the lower hinge and to thelug thereat which moves with the gate, whereby the effect ofspring-action is added to the action of gravity.

5. In a self-closing gate, the combination of the gate, a post, an upperand a lower hinge whereby i't is supported on the post and each of whichconsists of two complementary lugs, one in each case connected to thegate and the other to the post, and a Combined .hingepin and closingspring lug on the post in one hinge and to the lug structure whichconsists of two parallel on the gate in the other hinge. 10 membersconnected at one of their ends, the In testimony whereof, I hereunto aXmy end of one member forming the hinge-pin signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

for one hinge and the end of the other mem- JAMES W. MARTIN. ber formingthe hinge-pin for the other Witnesses: hinge, the other end of eaohmember being C. SPENGEL,

connected, one to each of the hinges, to the T. LE BEAU.

